Table of Contents
Check out the history of unicorn before Unicorn Products:
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long straight horn with spiralling grooves, cloven hooves, and sometimes a goat’s beard. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could be captured only by a virgin.
In the encyclopedias, its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. In medieval and Renaissance times, the tusk of the narwhal was sometimes sold as a unicorn horn.
A bovine type of unicorn is thought by some scholars to have been depicted in seals of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization, the interpretation remaining controversial. An equine form of the unicorn was mentioned by the ancient Greeks in accounts of natural history by various writers, including Ctesias, Strabo, Pliny the Younger, Aelian and Cosmas Indicopleustes. The Bible also describes an animal, the re’em, which some translations render as unicorn.
The unicorn continues to hold a place in popular culture. It is often used as a symbol of fantasy or rarity. (unicorn products)
History
Indus Valley Civilization
A creature with a single horn, conventionally called a unicorn is the most common image on the soapstone stamp seals of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization (“IVC”), from the centuries around 2000 BC. It has a body more like a cow than a horse, and a curved horn that goes forward, then up at the tip. The mysterious feature depicted coming down from the front of the back is usually shown; it may represent a harness or other covering.
Typically the unicorn faces a vertical object with at least two stages; this is variously described as a “ritual offering stand”, an incense burner, or a manger. The animal is always in profile on Indus seals, but the theory that it represents animals with two horns, one hiding the other, is disproved by a (much smaller) number of small terracotta unicorns, probably toys, and the profile depictions of bulls, where both horns are clearly shown. It is thought that the unicorn was the symbol of a powerful “clan or merchant community”, but may also have had some religious significance.
In South Asia the unicorn is only seen during the IVC period — it disappears in South Asian art ever since. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer notes the IVC unicorn to not have any “direct connection” with later unicorn motifs observed in other parts of world; nonetheless it remains possible that the IVC unicorn had contributed to later myths of fantastical one-horned creatures in West Asia. (unicorn products)
In antiquity
Unicorns are not found in Greek mythology, but rather in the accounts of natural history, for Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of unicorns, which they believed lived in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. The earliest description is from Ctesias, who in his book Indika (“On India“) described them as wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn a cubit and a half (700 mm, 28 inches) in length, and colored white, red and black.
Ctesias got his information while living in Persia. Unicorns on a relief sculpture have been found at the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis in Iran. Aristotle must be following Ctesias when he mentions two one-horned animals, the oryx (a kind of antelope) and the so-called “Indian ass” (ἰνδικὸς ὄνος). Antigonus of Carystus also wrote about the one-horned “Indian ass”. Strabo says that in the Caucasus there were one-horned horses with stag-like heads.
Pliny the Elder mentions the oryx and an Indian ox (perhaps a Greater one-horned rhinoceros) as one-horned beasts, as well as “a very fierce animal called the monoceros which has the head of the stag, the feet of the elephant, and the tail of the boar, while the rest of the body is like that of the horse; it makes a deep lowing noise, and has a single black horn, which projects from the middle of its forehead, two cubits [900 mm, 35 inches] in length.
” In On the Nature of Animals (Περὶ Ζῴων Ἰδιότητος, De natura animalium), Aelian, quoting Ctesias, adds that India produces also a one-horned horse (iii. 41; iv. 52), and says (xvi. 20) that the monoceros (Greek: μονόκερως) was sometimes called cartazonos (Greek: καρτάζωνος), which may be a form of the Arabic karkadann, meaning “rhinoceros“.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, a merchant of Alexandria who lived in the 6th century, made a voyage to India and subsequently wrote works on cosmography. He gives a description of a unicorn based on four brass figures in the palace of the King of Ethiopia.
He states, from report, that “it is impossible to take this ferocious beast alive; and that all its strength lies in its horn. When it finds itself pursued and in danger of capture, it throws itself from a precipice, and turns so aptly in falling, that it receives all the shock upon the horn, and so escapes safe and sound”. (unicorn products)
Middle Ages and Renaissance
Medieval knowledge of the fabulous beast stemmed from biblical and ancient sources, and the creature was variously represented as a kind of wild ass, goat, or horse. (unicorn products)
The predecessor of the medieval bestiary, compiled in Late Antiquity and known as Physiologus (Φυσιολόγος), popularized an elaborate allegory in which a unicorn, trapped by a maiden (representing the Virgin Mary), stood for the Incarnation. As soon as the unicorn sees her, it lays its head on her lap and falls asleep. (unicorn products)
This became a basic emblematic tag that underlies medieval notions of the unicorn, justifying its appearance in both secular and religious art. The unicorn is often shown hunted, raising parallels both with vulnerable virgins and sometimes the Passion of Christ. The myths refer to a beast with one horn that can only be tamed by a virgin; subsequently, some writers translated this into an allegory for Christ’s relationship with the Virgin Mary. (unicorn products)
The unicorn also figured in courtly terms: for some 13th-century French authors such as Thibaut of Champagne and Richard de Fournival, the lover is attracted to his lady as the unicorn is to the virgin. With the rise of humanism, the unicorn also acquired more orthodox secular meanings, emblematic of chaste love and faithful marriage. It plays this role in Petrarch‘s Triumph of Chastity, and on the reverse of Piero della Francesca‘s portrait of Battista Strozzi, paired with that of her husband Federico da Montefeltro (painted c. 1472–74), Bianca’s triumphal car is drawn by a pair of unicorns. (unicorn products)
However, when the unicorn appears in the medieval legend of Barlaam and Josaphat, ultimately derived from the life of the Buddha, it represents death, as the Golden Legend explains. Unicorns in religious art largely disappeared after they were condemned by Molanus after the Council of Trent. (unicorn products)
The unicorn, tamable only by a virgin woman, was well established in medieval lore by the time Marco Polo described them as “scarcely smaller than elephants. They have the hair of a buffalo and feet like an elephant’s. They have a single large black horn in the middle of the forehead… They have a head like a wild boar’s… (unicorn products)
They spend their time by preference wallowing in mud and slime. They are very ugly brutes to look at. They are not at all such as we describe them when we relate that they let themselves be captured by virgins, but clean contrary to our notions.” It is clear that Marco Polo was describing a rhinoceros. (unicorn products)
The Throne Chair of Denmark is partly made of “unicorn horns” – in fact narwhal tusks. The same material was used for ceremonial cups because the unicorn’s horn continued to be believed to neutralize poison, following classical authors. (unicorn products)
Alicorn
The horn itself and the substance it was made of was called alicorn, and it was believed that the horn holds magical and medicinal properties. The Danish physician Ole Worm determined in 1638 that the alleged alicorns were the tusks of narwhals. Such beliefs were examined wittily and at length in 1646 by Sir Thomas Browne in his Pseudodoxia Epidemica. (unicorn products)
False alicorn powder, made from the tusks of narwhals or horns of various animals, has been sold in Europe for medicinal purposes as late as 1741. The alicorn was thought to cure many diseases and have the ability to detect poisons, and many physicians would make “cures” and sell them. Cups were made from alicorn for kings and given as a gift; these were usually made of ivory or walrus ivory. Entire horns were very precious in the Middle Ages and were often really the tusks of narwhals. (unicorn products)
Entrapment
One traditional method of hunting unicorns involved entrapment by a virgin.
In one of his notebooks Leonardo da Vinci wrote:
The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it.
The famous late Gothic series of seven tapestry hangings The Hunt of the Unicorn are a high point in European tapestry manufacture, combining both secular and religious themes. The tapestries now hang in the Cloisters division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
In the series, richly dressed noblemen, accompanied by huntsmen and hounds, pursue a unicorn against mille-fleur backgrounds or settings of buildings and gardens.
They bring the animal to bay with the help of a maiden who traps it with her charms, appear to kill it, and bring it back to a castle; in the last and most famous panel, “The Unicorn in Captivity”, the unicorn is shown alive again and happy, chained to a pomegranate tree surrounded by a fence, in a field of flowers. Scholars conjecture that the red stains on its flanks are not blood but rather the juice from pomegranates, which were a symbol of fertility.
However, the true meaning of the mysterious resurrected unicorn in the last panel is unclear. The series was woven about 1500 in the Low Countries, probably Brussels or Liège, for an unknown patron. A set of six engravings on the same theme, treated rather differently, were engraved by the French artist Jean Duvet in the 1540s. (unicorn products)
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that there are unicorn things all around us. Make little unicorn items like poop cookies, sparkly ice cream, cute unicorn gifts, unicorn accessories and much more. (unicorn products)
People are obsessed with unicorns.
Yeah! Our love for unicorns is endless! Do you feel the same? (unicorn products)
Well, here we have made for you a list of 9 best selling products online to please every unicorn lover.
Disclaimer: In this guide, you can find unicorn-related gifts such as toys, gifts for adults, gifts for teenage girls. (unicorn products)
Internet-Favorite Unicorn Products
The following items can be used as gifts for unicorn lovers:
This Unicorn Grandma Mug Will Make Her Every Morning Fun, Cozy, & Warm:
This granny mug can be one of the best gifts for adults who have the spirit of youth even in their old age. The unicorn coffee and tea mug can be your conversation starter to catch up on what you missed on grandma’s week. (unicorn products)
You can also give this to someone in your office who is in love with unicorn themed gifts. (unicorn products)
Every Kid Will Love to Cuddle In This Unicorn Crochet Blanket:
We all know a kid who’s obsessed with all things furry unicorns, just like Agnes from my vile me.
They can’t forget the cool unicorn stuff they saw on TV and you hear them jumping around to get all the cool looking stuff.
This handmade blanket can be one of the best gift ideas for all kids as it has a knitted horn and ears to give all kids a unicorn feel. (unicorn products)
This Unicorn Tea Infuser Is A Perfect Gift For Every Tea & Unicorn Lover:
If you are looking for the perfect unicorn gift ideas, this magic unicorn tea infuser may be your ultimate choice.
Indeed, one of the best gifts for elderly parents, teenagers, women or your fitness-crazy siblings.
Sip a magical tea with a magic tea infuser for magical health benefits! (unicorn products)
This Unicorn Mood Lamp Will Make Sleeping Time Magical, Peaceful, & Glowy:
Make your baby girl’s bedtime relaxing and peaceful with these gifts. This unicorn mood lamp will be her toy to play with during the day.
You can also get these in bulk as great unicorn toys to gift your son. Indeed, it may be among the wonderful unicorn novelties you can buy for unique gifts for kids or for your relative’s children. (unicorn products)
Every Kid Will Love to Drink Milk in This Cute Unicorn Mug:
We all know a kid who isn’t interested in drinking milk. What if we told you we have a solution for you? Yeah! This mug will do wonders.
Your kids will ask you for milk to drink in this cute unicorn gift. The next time someone asks you what are the best unicorn gifts for a kid? Show them these cute unicorn mugs! (unicorn products)
Give Your Space a Makeover with These Unicorn String Lights:
One of the best personalized unicorn gifts for every girl, kid or boy is this magic string light set.
Use it for room decoration, home decoration or just as a gift. (unicorn products)
This Unicorn Crochet Scarf Is An Ideal Gift for Tweens:
This unicorn crochet scarf is your best bet if you’re here to find gifts for girls ages 8 to 13. Finding gifts for tweens can be difficult as there are so few options to choose from.
Neither child nor adult, but somewhere in between. And this unicorn scarf is cute, cool, comfortable and just what you’re looking for! (unicorn products)
This Plush Unicorn Toy Is What Your Lush Kid Needs:
What could be the perfect unicorn gift? Yes, you guessed right. This walking, singing lush unicorn!
Take your child’s playtime to the next level! (unicorn products)
This Unicorn Magic Lamp Is Kid’s Favorite:
Finally, we have a special unicorn magic lamp in our guide to the best selling products.
Why is it so unique? Because it creates the shimmering effect of a rainbow and there is nothing more magical than a rainbow that can make everyone happy.
Light up the bedroom with something that will make your kids say ‘Wow’. (unicorn products)
Conclusion
Our obsession with unicorns isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Regardless of age, everyone loves cute unicorn-like things.
Yeah! In fact, some people have taken the concept of ‘unicorn’ to another level (you don’t even want to know what level they are at. :p).
So what are you waiting for? Get these cute unicorn items now for all the unicorn lovers you know!
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